Paul Verhoeven's Paperboy

Paul Verhoeven's next project to actually get before cameras is to be an adaptation of Pete Dexter's The Paperboy. Set in and around Moat County Florida in the 1960s, the novel is a murder investigation/crusading journalist/serial killer mystery and Verhoeven seems like a great choice - or, more to the point, it seems like a great choice for Verhoeven. It has a whiff of The Mean Season about it, and that's not a bad thing.

About ten years ago Pedro Almodovar chewed the project over for a long while and, for some reason, never got the ball rolling.

We can expect The Paperboy to shoot early in 2008, while Verhoeven's "19th Century Basic Instinct", The Winter Queen and another Dutch production, an adaptation of Jan Siebelink's Kneeling on a Bed of Violets are apparently still on course, and likely to follow in the next couple of years.

In case you don't know Dexter, he also wrote the novel Paris Trout and also adapted it into a sadly forgotten Stephen Gyllenhaal film starring Dennis Hopper and Barbara Hershey.

Kate Winslett And Pedro Almodovar To Meet On Chesil Beach?

There's a quote from Pedro Almodovar doing the rounds at the moment, seemingly originating in a UK newspaper interview. He reportedly said:

What I'd really like to do is make Ian McEwan's latest book into a film. And there is no shortage of British actresses to cast in it; I would definitely like to work with Kate Winslet who is a good friend of mine.

McEwan's latest is, I believe On Chesil Beach. You can read an excerpt - I just did; it's all I have to go on. I'm not sure I'm in a hurry to read the whole thing. Here's an excerpt of that excerpt to illustrate why not:

For more than a year, Edward had been mesmerized by the prospect that on the evening of a given date in June the most sensitive portion of himself would reside, however briefly, within a naturally formed cavity inside this cheerful, pretty, formidably intelligent woman. How this was to be achieved without absurdity, or disappointment, troubled him. His specific worry, based on one unfortunate experience, was of overexcitement, of what he had heard someone describe as “arriving too soon.”

Movie Minesweeper - The I'm Half Watching The Tele Edition

- Soundtrack dot Net have some pictures from the scoring sessions for American Gangster. Looks like it's going to sound good.

- Yes, yes, there are pictures of Stallone as Rambo online, I know, I know.

- A clip from the Caveman pilot is now up for your viewing... pleasure? A thought provoking commentary on modern day race relations. Apparently.

- Mischa Barton is in the new St. Trinian's. Confirmation also comes that Russell Brand is playing Flash Harry, and that some filming has taken place in Hawaii. For some reason.

- Almodovar's El Deseo have commenced production of a documentary about El Senor de Sipan, "the ruler of ancient Peru's ruins".

- John Turturro is remaking Theo van Gogh's 1-900.

- The Playstation 3 version of Stranglehold will come with John Woo's Hard Boiled also on the disc. Of course, buying a Wii and a Blu-Ray player, something like Eledees and then also a copy of Hard Boiled on its own would be more satisfying at the end of the day. In related news, Sony are losing money - lots of money - because of the PS3.

- Today's second Rob Schmidt story: ThinkFilm are selling his film Bad Meat at Cannes. I met Schmidt at the London Film Festival years and years ago - at the time, Daniel Waters was a close friend of his. Wonder if they're still chums?

- Grant Morrison gives a very good interview to Wired. It's all Area 51, no mention of We3 - shame.

- VH1 have previewed their top 10 blockbusters of 2008. Maybe I'll try and rustle up a list for 2009 at some point, go one step beyond.

Just What Is This Odd, Disturbing Role Almodovar Has Lined Up For Penelope Cruz?

As film ick reported in early December, Penelope Cruz and Pedro Almodovar are to reteam for the director's next movie, a revenge drama. What wasn't known at the time - and which I'm hearing now, as Variety announce the project formally and the world lights up with discussion of it's plot and characters - is just what role Ms. Cruz is to play.

This one might be quite a challenge for her. Apparently, the film centres on the cruel tactics of a plastic surgeon who avenges his daughter's rape. Read any further and there are spoilers.

I'm told that Cruz will not be playing the daughter. Nope, she will be playing a man who has raped the daughter. So, I probably don't need to explain what form the surgeon's twisted revenge comes in. I think the true identity of Eve is kept secret for some time and the gender-reallignment in Eve's past is only revealed later.

If I understand correctly, the poor daughter is now an inmate at a mental assylum, and pops up in just a small handful of scenes. Her true identity is kept under wraps for a good long time too, I believe.

For a while this film was being referred to as Tarantula, I believe, and now it will most likely take the English title The Skin I Live In. The meaning of the first title isn't so obvious, but I think we can all see how the second is relevant.

Viva Pedro Coming To DVD

Sony's Pedro Almodovar retrospective selection, Viva Pedro, is coming to DVD on the 30th of January.

I know what you're thinking, and the answer is: Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, All About My Mother, Talk to Her, Flower of my Secret, Live Flesh, Law of Desire, Matador and Bad Education.

As well as the eight films, there's also a ninth bonus disc, laden with 'featurettes'. No idea if any of the film discs have extras on them, but I'm hoping for commentaries. Please, Sony, Please.

Retail will be just under $120, but even better deals are bound to pop up online. If you spot any, please add them in the comments section below because I just have to have this thing and I can't be splashing cash about willy nilly.